Single Fin Mingle 2022

The quaint seaside village of Sumner, came to life once again to celebrate The Single Fin Mingle. We welcomed surfers from near & far, around the globe & just down the road. What started as a day on the beach eight years ago has since grown into a world class annual festival integrating a plethora of events, from the invitational longboarding competition to the concerts, art shows and film screenings. We packed alot in this year, and raised the bar higher than ever before. The Single Fin Mingle 2022 was everything we could have imagined for and more, read on ..

We opened the event with a traditional mihi whakatau, acknowledging those present and those who have come before us. An integral part of every Single Fin Mingle. Off to the movies we went for Thursday night, screening of The Single Fin Mingle Film Festival - presented by Hydroflask. A packed out theatre of competitors and close guests filled the room for a scintillating selection of local and international surf films. 

The surfing kicked off on Friday with blue skies and clean conditions at first light. The early heats made the most of the swell, with both local and international competitors taking to the water. By the afternoon the tide had filled in and things really started to heat up in the water and on land. The sun was out and the esplanade was bustling, the Minglers were mingling and the spectators had front row seats to it all at the Corona Beach Bar. Each day as the sun sets things shift into the village, and Friday night hosted the Sumner Soiree with performances by local group There’s a Tuesday and Auckland’s Arthur Ahbez in the beautiful courtyard of Matuku Takotako, Sumner Centre.

With a dire forecast on the horizon for Sunday, the call was made to proceed to the finals on Saturday. With glassy conditions on offer and swell still rolling in, competitors slid into an all international Women’s final and an all Kiwi Mens final. Hawaiian Mason Schremmer took out the women’s division with style and grace, cementing her name as one of the top longboarders in the world. The Men’s final was extremely tight, and maybe one of the most riveting finals in history of the event. In the end it was the ‘Prince of Sumner’, Luke O’Neill, who took out the crown.

Safe to say this year's Saturday night party was the most anticipated in Mingle history. And boy did we go big. We closed the street down, built a huge stage & opened the gates to hundreds of good time enthusiasts from around country to come join the party that was The Street Sock Hop. We announced the finalists on the main stage for the first time and the crowd went wild! The acts that followed just added fuel to the fire, local artist Jack Page kicked things off, then the legendary jazz artist Nathan Haines put the dance party into full swing. And just when you thought the night was over, out pops the surprise guest, rapper Wax Mustang who sent it home for one of the most memorable nights in the event’s history.